lakshmipathy balaji Profile - ICC Profile, Age, Career Info & Stats.
lakshmipathy balaji is a cricketer(sportsman) from India. His ICC profile, age, career info & stats are given below.
Full Name
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Born
September 27, 1981, Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu
Age
42 years old
Also Known As
Naidu
Batting Style
Right hand Bat
Bowling Style
Right arm Medium fast
Playing Role
Bowler
Batting Stats
Test | ODI | T20I | IPL | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mat | 8 | 30 | 5 | 73 |
Inn | 9 | 16 | - | 15 |
Runs | 51 | 120 | - | 36 |
Avg | 5.67 | 12.0 | - | 4.5 |
SR | 40.48 | 78.95 | - | 73.47 |
HS | 31 | 21 | - | 15 |
NO | 0 | 6 | - | 7 |
100s | 0 | 0 | - | 0 |
50s | 0 | 0 | - | 0 |
4s | 5 | 8 | - | 2 |
6s | 1 | 3 | - | 1 |
Bowling Stats
Test | ODI | T20I | IPL | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mat | 8 | 30 | 5 | 73 |
Inn | 15 | 30 | 5 | 73 |
Balls | 1756 | 1447 | 96 | 1513 |
Runs | 1004 | 1344 | 121 | 2029 |
Wkt | 27 | 34 | 10 | 76 |
BBI | 76 / 5 | 48 / 4 | 19 / 3 | 24 / 3 |
BBM | 171 / 9 | 48 / 4 | 19 / 3 | 24 / 3 |
Eco | 3.43 | 5.57 | 7.56 | 8.05 |
Avg | 37.19 | 39.53 | 12.1 | 26.7 |
5W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
10W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Teams he has played for:
- India
- Albert TUTI Patriots
- Chennai Super Kings
- Kings XI Punjab
- Kolkata Knight Riders
- Tamil Nadu
Heres what CricBuzz says about him.
Balaji first burst onto the scene in a One-Day International (ODI) against West Indies, where he leaked 44 runs in four overs. That performance coupled with poor outings in the home Test series versus New Zealand kept the pacer out of the Indian side for a while. But consistent performances led to him being recalled for the triangular series in Australia in 2003-04, where he partnered another youngster, Irfan Pathan.
The duo went on to form a lethal bowling combination for India as they toured Pakistan for the first time since 1989-90. It was a historic series for India as it was their first series win in Pakistan. In the three matches, Balaji scalped 12 wickets, including seven in the third Test to hand India a 2-1 series win. The Tamil Nadu pacer registered his best Test figures of five for 76 when Pakistan traveled to India the following year.
The 2005 Test series was the last Balaji played for India in the longest format of the game. A major stress fracture on his back almost ended his career the same year. He had to undergo a surgery to get it rectified and the Tamil Nadu coach at that time, WV Raman, recollects, \"If I were to go back, to what all happened when he was told he would have to go for a surgery, it would take me two days to rattle on.\" However, a fighter that he has known to be, Balaji rose back slowly to the demands of international cricket.
After a period of three years, Balaji started to play Ranji Trophy in 2008 and was also subsequently picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With a remodeled action, the Tamil Nadu pacer picked up 11 wickets, including a hat-trick for CSK in IPL 2008. That performance earned him a recall to the ODI side in 2009.
In the fourth edition of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders picked up a now matured Balaji from the auctions. He went on to become a vital bowler for the Gautam Gambhir-led side and with some impressive performances, Balaji made a comeback to India's T20I side. After a home series against New Zealand, he was on the plane for the 2012 World T20. Even though he had a couple of good outings in the mega event, Balaji never played for India again.
Tamil Nadu were the major benefactors from Balaji's absence in the Indian team. They made him the captain and he become the corner stone of the Ranji side for many years. He even took part in the maiden edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he along with Dinesh Karthik and Abhinav Mukund led a young side to the title. Balaji announced that the TNPL final would be the last game of his career. Hanging up his boots as the best fast bowler to have emerged from Tamil Nadu.
By Akshay Maanay
Heres what ESPNcricinfo says about him.
L Balaji does not know when to give up. It would have been easy to dismiss him as a one-dimensional bowler after his forgettable debut. He erased the memories of being caned for 44 runs off his first four overs, and of two fruitless home Tests against New Zealand, when he emerged one of India's leading fast bowlers in their historic tour of Pakistan in 2003-04. He was particularly lethal in a couple of sessions in the third Test in Rawalpindi, where he consistently swung the ball away, and snapped up a then career-best 4 for 63. In addition, his uninhibited batting and a megawatt smile endeared him to crowds in a manner even he found difficult to fathom.
That comeback fades in comparison to the one he made in 2008-09. A stress fracture ruled him out of cricket in 2005, and threatened to end his career. For three years he could hardly play any cricket. He had to undergo a back surgery before which he was not sure he would be able to bowl again. "If I were to go back," WV Raman, the Tamil Nadu coach who supported him throughout the hiatus said, "to what all happened when he was told he would have to go for a surgery, it would take me two days to rattle on." With a remodelled action and the same unwavering spirit, he started the long road back through the first season of the IPL in 2008. His 11 wickets for Chennai Super Kings included a hat-trick. A successful Ranji season followed, and his 36 wickets at 17.50 took Tamil Nadu through to the semi-final. Eventually the national recall came, when Munaf Patel sustained a groin injury during the five-ODI series in Sri Lanka in January 2009. He then made it back to the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, but never got a game. He captained the Tamil Nadu Ranji side, and reminded the selectors yet again that he wasn't a finished article, by bowling economically for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 IPL. He was rewarded with a call-up to the Twenty20 squad for the home series against New Zealand and the ICC World Twenty20.
Before the injury struck he bowled with a whippy, quick-arm action and had the ability to bowl quicker deliveries, yorkers or bouncers without a perceptible change in action. His open-chested action, combined with a tendency to bowl wide from the crease, lulled batsmen into believing that the ball would come in with the arm. As a result of this, when the ball swung away, or even straightened, he could be difficult to tackle. Not much of that has changed in his remodelled action. The perceptible change is in the way he starts his run-up, where he sort of tiptoes for the first few steps - almost as if unsure of the ground he is going to run on, before easing in.
ESPNcricinfo Staff